Golf

Ken Ingoldsby had no idea what to expect from footgolf, the hybrid marriage of golf and soccer. But the head pro at the city-owned and operated Rundle Park Golf Course, where the new sport has been implemented...

golf

Windermere Golf & Country Club’s associate professional Derek Baker explains how to get better at the bump-and-run chip shot. “You see a lot of people take out something like a 60-degree wedge when they are chipping from around the green,” said Baker. “Much easier is to use a lower-lofted club and get the ball rolling quicker.

golf

All Justin Stoski was really hoping for in the PGA of Alberta assistants’ championship at the Jagare Ridge Golf Club was a top-10 finish. Instead, with a two-day total of 2 under, the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Golf Resort assistant head pro went out and won it all in a tournament that was partially played in rain, hail and strong winds.

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Pros can hit a fade or a draw, usually at will. Kevin Day, teaching professional at Billy D’s Golf Centre, explains how you can do it, too. “When you want to hit a draw and move the ball right to left — for a right-handed golfer — your body needs to face to the right, which is where you want the ball to start while your clubface points to the target and where you want the ball to finish,” said Day.

Florin ‘Fuzzy’ Bergh’s induction into the Alberta Golf Association’s Hall of Fame for distinguished service earlier this year was as automatic as a washing machine and as expected as his evening glass of rum. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t see this coming. Except for the man himself.

Victoria golf course teaching professional Robb James has this advice for hitting a bunker shot: “To get the golf ball out of a bunker — in one shot — you have to know how to use the sand wedge properly.

It’s insane. I might get one report of an albatross — a double-eagle 2 on a par 5 or a hole-in-one on a par 4 — once a year. But four? In the same week? Especially given that the odds of making one are around six million to one and are much more rare than a hole-in-one.

Blair Oko of the Blair Oko Golf Academy said the first thing required to hit a flop shot is a 60-degree lob wedge, which most amateurs don’t have in their bag. He said flop shots come in “very handy when you have to get the ball up quickly — getting a ball up and over a bunker, over a tree or when the pin is close to the edge of the green and you don’t have a lot of green to work with.

Goose Hummock Golf Resort head pro Mike McEvay explains how golfers can improve their distance control when putting. “Distance control is much more important than having the right line on long putts,” he said. “You’ll rarely see anyone miss the hole by four or five feet, but you will see golfers either leave the putt real short or blow it way past the hole.

Kylie Barros, five-time consecutive winner of the Edmonton women’s amateur tournament, went to the University of British Columbia. Tyler Saunders, the much-decorated winner of last year’s Sun Life Financial Alberta Amateur and recent runner-up in the Alberta Open — against the pros — chose Texas State.

The Camrose Golf Course record has fallen. Andrew Harrison, only 19, shot a 10-under-par 60 to eclipse the mark of 62, set by the much decorated Frank Van Dornick. Harrison, winner of last year’s Edmonton junior title, had 10 birdies and no bogeys.

Pinot on the Patio guests were amazed when a fire truck tore into the Royal Glenora Club grounds in Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River valley last week. Firefighter Sebastian Toth brought a nozzle to bear on a fire and within seconds there were just a few bras left smouldering on the coals.

“Just about the No. 1 thing amateurs want to do is to hit the ball farther with their driver. “Most people when they try and hit it farther, they tense up. What happens then is that when your muscles are tight they don’t move very fast. When you are loose your muscles move faster.

Glendale’s Tyler Saunders continues to demonstrate he’s a golfer worth watching. Just 19, Saunders was the low amateur and finished tied for second at last week’s Alberta Open Championship. His two-round total of 136 (-6) at Calgary’s Carnmoney Golf & Country Club left him one shot behind Calgary pro James Love.

It’s another typical Edmonton day, which means it’s windy. To keep the ball out of the wind or to play a shot under tree limbs, Cardiff Golf & Country Club’s Cody Hancock explains how to hit the knockdown shot. “The tendency for a lot of players when it’s windy is they swing harder,” Hancock said. “But that’s really the opposite of what you should be doing. For one reason, when you swing harder, that will typically put more backspin on the golf ball, which will cause it to be even more affected by the wind.

It was 1926 and the war was on. Working for Canadian National Railway, Stanley Thompson had just completed his masterpiece golf course in Jasper. Three hundred kilometres to the south, Banff and the Canadian Pacific Railway were envious.